THE FEAR OF COMMUNISM AND RADICALISM IN THE UNITED STATES

The Red Scare and McCarthyism

The I.W.W.“Wobblies” The Knights of Labor

Radicalism in Labor Unions

The Haymarket Square Riot

The Homestead Plant Strike

Violence in the Labor Movement

The Russian Revolution of 1917When a small group of Bolshevik radicals overthrew the Romanov dynasty, toppled a democratically elected Duma, and seized control of the largest nation on Earth by violent methods, many Americans were fearful of communism and radicalism. In the United States, a first “Red Scare” resulted following World War I.

Anarchists Communists

The Palmer Raids and the Red Scare of the 1920s

A. Mitchell PalmerA. Mitchell Palmer was the Attorney General of the United States under Woodrow Wilson, and steadfastly devoted to the notion that the United States should be rid of all communist, socialist, anarchist, and radical agitators. His raids upon the labor unions, political organizations, and individuals which opposed the government were constant and usually unconstitituional.

The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution

“ The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. ”

The Berlin Blockade and the Berlin Airlift were the first of many Cold War confrontations.

American and British pilots delivered food, fuel, supplies, and medicine to the people of West Berlin for almost 11 months during the years 1948 and 1949. Eventually, Joseph Stalin took down the blockades which had isolated the city by blocking off all of its roads, rivers, and canals. He feared that an incident might spark a larger war. Harry S Truman considered this action the first difficult test for his policy of containment – and it was a triumph.

CHINAMao Zedong and the communist forces which supported him took control of China in 1949, much to the surprise and disappointment of Americans. Overnight, the most populous nation on Earth had been turned into a communist nation. Fearful Americans, once again, began to worry about the possibility of revolution.

North Korean Aggression, 1950Americans were further concerned when Kim Il Sung, the leader of North Korea, launched an attack against South Korea to unify the entire Korean peninsula under communist rule. The transparent aggression of communist nations in Berlin, China, and now Korea left the United States and our western European allies in a constant state of preparedness.

Brinksmanship

The dangerous foreign policy practiced by both the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

The United States pledged to go “to the brink” of war with the Soviet Union in order to stop the spread of communism.

The aggressive posturing and intimidation of the United States was generally matched barb for barb by the USSR

The Arms Race

The term “Arms Race” refers to the buildup of larger and larger stockpiles of nuclear weapons by both the United States and the Soviet Union.

Both nations also managed to create more powerful weapons with greater destructive potential and longer range missiles to deliver these horrible weapons across long distances. ICBMs – Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles – were long range weapons which made all Americans fearful. The Soviets, of course, were equally concerned.

The H-Bomb

The Space Race

The competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to control the exploration and colonization of space.

Although Americans and Russians took great pride in their accomplishments – orbiting the Earth, landing on the moon, ect. – the primary purpose of investing large sums of money into the space race was to demonstrate the power of the rockets each nation had created – the same technology used to launch missiles: nuclear missiles to destroy the enemy.

Sputnik

The first man made satellite launched into space, by the Soviet Union, in 1957.

Americans were shocked that they had been beaten into space by the Soviets, and made a commitment to improving a) weapons technology and b) improving the American public school system by increasing the emphasis on mathematics and science.

Sputnik

Stayputnik: The Vanguard TV-3

Senator Joseph McCarthyThe senator from Wisconsin who took advantage of this paranoia and doubt for political reasons was Joseph McCarthy. Hurling undocumented and unproven accusations at Americans he considered unpatriotic or “communist sympathizers”, he managed to destroy the reputations of his opponents while building himself up as the defender of capitalism and democracy.

The Red Scare and McCarthyism

Due to the threat of communist revolution and the ever-present threat of nuclear war, Americans were genuinely fearful of our communist rivals.

At times, the fear and paranoia generated by the Cold War resulted in overzealous pursuit of communists or other radicals who we feared would betray our nation.

There were many acts of espionage, intrigue, and betrayal during the Cold War, and some of the fearfulness and paranoia was justified.

Julius and Ethyl RosenbergIn 1949, the USSR was able to create its own version of the atomic bomb. Since Americans were convinced that it would take Soviet physicists much longer to master the technology, espionage was suspected. Julius and Ethyl Rosenberg were convicted of passing the secrets of the atomic weapon to the USSR and executed for doing so in 1953.

HUACThe House Un-American Activities Committee was infamous for their unfair investigations and slanderous assaults on Americans who aired sympathetic views for America’s rivals. In one instance, Hollywood actors and directors were accused of communist sympathies. In many fields, blacklists were created to prevent the hiring of radicals.

McCarthyismThe hysteria generated by the Red Scare often resulted in paranoia and unjustified persecution of people with minority views – or sympathies for communists. Under the first amendment and in the Bill of Rights, free speech and political liberties were guaranteed; however, during the 1950s, many of these principles were under assault. In this cartoon, the character is yelling, “FIRE!”, then extinguishing the Statue of Liberty’s torch.

“FIRE!”

McCarthyism

After Joseph McCarthy had exhibited a pattern of making false accusations - questioning the patriotism and loyalty of upstanding citizens of our nation – his methods were condemned.

On national TV, serviceman Joseph Welch claimed, “I have never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness….Have you no sense of decency?”

Today, the term McCarthyism is used to describe reckless, slanderous claims made against innocent citizens.

The Red Scare Subsides

There were, of course, many good reasons for fear during the Cold War. The threat of nuclear holocaust was ever present.

In 1962, John F. Kennedy was tested by Nikita Khrushchev during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the result was almost catastrophic. In the mid-1960s, the United States involvement in Vietnam escalated.

But by the end of the 1960s and start of the 1970s, détente – a gradual easing of tensions between the USA and the Soviet Union had begun.